1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to drying articles of clothing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus which is so constructed as to facilitate the drying of pull-over garments, particularly, sweater or shirts in their extended state.
2. General Background
In the area of drying clothes, particularly sweaters, they may stretch out of shape due to washing, in the present state of the art, the most practical method of drying such articles yet maintaining their structural integrity, following washing the garment, is to lay the garment out on an absorbant material such as a terry cloth towel or the like, and to allow the garment to dry over a period of time. In most instances, this period of time may involve having the item dry for 2 or 3 days in this state.
One of the shortcomings in attempting to place this type of garment on a hanging item such as a clothes hanger, is that in order to place the clothes hanger in the position on the garment, the arms of the garment must be stretched out of shape vis-a-vis the neck portion, so that the shoulder portions of the hanger may fit properly under the garment. Any type of stretching while the garment is wet, would, of course, result in the dried garment being, in most cases, pulled out of shape in an undesirable shape.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus which would assist in the drying of a garment while in the hanging state, yet not result in arm and shoulder portions of the garment being stretched out of shape in order to undertake such a task.
In the state of the art there have been several U.S. patents granted which addresses the hanging of clothes, the most pertinent being listed as follows.
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR TITLE ______________________________________ 735,443 Baer "Coat Hanger" 1,193,356 Buxton "Garment Hanger" 1,193,357 Buxton "Garment Hanger" 2,290,722 Weingarten "Collapsible Garment Hanger" 3,719,312 Krut "Collapsible Garment Hanger" 3,334,793 Anderson "Hanger" 4,117,960 Bengsch, et al "Folding Clothes-Hanger" 4,186,857 Helms, Jr. "Collapsible Coat Hanger" 2,448,234 Pandele "Garment Hanger" ______________________________________